


Letters

by eafay70



Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: Epistolary, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:41:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21886837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eafay70/pseuds/eafay70
Summary: Neven writes about his new home to Mats.
Relationships: Mats Hummels/Neven Subotić
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9
Collections: Football Varieté - A Fic Exchange





	Letters

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Contra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Contra/gifts).



> Hallo Contra!  
> I was so happy to be assigned you because I adore Neven! :D
> 
> I hope you don't mind that this is in English - I couldn't get the right tone in German. :(
> 
> My knowledge of Berlin is far from extensive, but the people I know who have been there love it, so I hope that love comes through here. <3

_(July 2019)_

My dearest Mats,

I know we just had a lovely phone conversation, but I have so many thoughts about this place that I simply have to put them down on paper. And I know you find letters like this old-fashioned, but you're the person with whom I want to share everything, so you get these thoughts.

Berlin, Berlin, I've moved to Berlin - and I think I'll be very happy living here. I obviously haven't been here very long, but I can already tell that this city is fascinatingly complex, with all sorts of areas to explore and people to meet. You probably think that's a very silly thing to say - after all, I've lived in interesting cities before. And as I'm sure you'd more than happily point out if we were having this conversation in person, Dortmund is certainly an interesting city to live in, especially since we were there together! But Berlin is big, much bigger than Dortmund - and while that's not enough to make Berlin more interesting in and of itself, it does mean more areas to explore and people to meet.

Unsurprisingly, most of the people I've met here so far have been part of Union Berlin. They are all determined to do well in the Bundesliga, though of course they are aware it won't be easy. I personally suspect that they will be happy if they do well against their derby rivals. And I do find it quite convenient that said derby rivals wear blue and white, as it means I don't have to learn to despise a different set of colors! Beyond the club, I've met a few people in stores - they are all very helpful and polite. Some of them have made it clear that they recognize me by wishing me a successful new season, but I suspect that at least some of the others also recognize me but wish to give me privacy, which is lovely.

I haven't explored Berlin in any detail yet, but I know you have a question for me: 'Is the food good?' The tentative answer is 'yes' - I have seen restaurants representing various cuisines looking very crowded, so I trust that they're good, even though I haven't tried them myself yet. I shall write you again when I have more details.

'AGAIN?!' I hear you gasp. Yes, again! I like writing you, so this is simply the first letter of many! Don't feel obligated to write a letter of your own - a simple text or call referencing the context of this letter will be enough.

All my love,  
your Neven

* * *

_(September 2019)_

My dearest Mats,

I find myself with enough time this evening to write you another letter about this new home of mine. I won't talk about the football side of things, since you and I talk about that regularly, beyond quickly mentioning that your hair looked particularly lovely on television this weekend.

I've been lucky to explore various parts of Berlin over the past few weeks. If I'm completely honest, I don't know what you would like best. The zoos are fun, though I admit I sometimes get confused regarding which zoo has which exhibits because they're so similar in advertising! And the city's history is on display beyond the well-known tourist attractions - certain streets are lined with signs about significant events that occurred there, all of which I personally find fascinating. I've had a few long conversations about it with some of the people who live near me; they ask me questions about the places I've lived, but they don't seem to mind that I'm more interested in their answers to my questions.

Speaking of the people - more of them have made it clear that they know who I am and what I do for a living. They aren't openly critical of my playing, which I attribute to their general good manners, as they continue to wish me good luck and success. To date, nobody has asked about my former teammates, which is probably good since I wouldn't want to bore them with details of missing you.

'But the food, Neven?' I hear you ask (not bothering to state the well-known fact that you miss me, too). Well, I've tried a few restaurants and have found them all to be excellent. Unsurprisingly, many establishments have multilingual menus; I've seen only a handful of silly mistakes, including one instance of confusion between '12 p.m.' and '12 a.m.' for opening hours. More importantly, however, this city appears to have something for everyone, no matter the palate.

I know that sounds somewhat vague, but I assure you that I have more details - I simply wish to save them for follow-up conversations so I can hear or read your reaction in real time. I suppose this has prompted a frustrated sigh from you; please know that I'm chuckling the way I always do when you sigh in frustration, getting your face all scrunched-up and adorable.

All my love,  
your Neven

* * *

_(November 2019)_

My dearest Mats,

I'm so very happy that you'll be here soon! I still haven't figured out how my neighbors feel about Dortmund, so I probably won't introduce you. If they do recognize you, I imagine they'll be very polite - or they'll make a point of reciting Union chants, as recently happened when a customer wearing a certain blue shirt came in the other day. Apparently it wasn't the customer's first time there, which made the whole situation even more amusing somehow!

It's getting colder here, though I'm told not to expect snow just yet. The city lights are beautiful with the sun setting earlier - I recently took a walk at dusk in the Alexanderplatz and was amazed at how lovely everything looked. I think you'll like it, too.

I've already chosen where we'll eat your first night; I'm also preparing menus so we can eat at home the other nights.

... Am I allowed to say that? I do feel very comfortable and happy here, but I feel strange calling it 'home' without you. Perhaps that's why I'm not only happy, but also nervous about you coming here - I want you to like it here. I suppose you could say I want you to give my home your blessing.

I can hear your laughter at the idea of you blessing something for me, but I know you know what I mean! And I know you want to see what I've been making such a fuss about.

All my love,  
your Neven

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
